AusMatt

I upgraded to Windows 8 on my GT680 and then later did a full re-install as I had some issues with the upgrade.

I've installed the latest drivers from Intel, RealTek, Renesas and NVIDIA (as MSI were way behind) and I've got no problems.

USB 3.0 etc all working.

I've read that you need Dell 015.017 vBIOS for MSI 16F2 laptops (such as my GT680).

You can get vBIOSes from: Video Bios Collection | techPowerUp

Hey there.

I'm running 2920xm and 6990m just fine on a 150w PSU. The 7970m draws less power so you should be fine. Shut downs won't be an issue, I'm running my 65W with a 6990m and have yet to get a force shutdown. Although, I will get forced shutdowns if I run on only battery.

For the upgrade you will need a GX660 heatsink and dremel. You may need ThrottleStop to prevent CPU throttling. A modified BIOS is not necessary if you already have the UEFI boot option but it will unlock your CPU TDP so it can turbo longer. No harm really in having more performance. I do believe your CPU maybe a bottleneck in certain situations. Perhaps finding an ES 2920xm or 2860QM might be a wise investment.

Cutting a hole won't make a tangible difference. The fan draws air from the keyboard, not the bottom. It's up to you really.

Ebay is your best bet for those obscure parts.

The 770m GTX works in this notebook so that's an alternative.

Interesting.

I read somewhere that the AMD 7970m has a TDP of 100W vs 72W for the NVIDIA 460m.

This is why I assume I need the 30W larger power brick.

The Internet seems to say that the 6990m has the same TDP as the 7970m (100W) though some say the 6990m could be up to 125W.

As for the CPU, that 2860QM is way to expensive... I wouldn't go past the 2820QM but for now am happy to stick with my current CPU.

Several people are adamant that I need to upgrade my power brick... Not sure why you don't.

I don't want to Dremel and know that I can get the correct heat sink from the notebookreview marketplace.

I don't have UEFI. This is an MSI GT680 with a BIOS (not UEFI). Is that a problem ?

1. Very few companies publish drivers as soon as updates are available. This is why I go to the part manufacturers website and downloading the latest drivers is always recommended. MSI has had BIOS updates for the 16F2 every 2 months; I know this only because I had to go through the pain of unlocking everyone of those revisions.

2. I will agree that MSI is a slow company. But, there are many positives you haven't taken note of. With the Sandy Bridge recall/fiasco, they offered a free one year warranty, including accidental damage extension (If you registered the notebook within 60 days) on all retail branded G-Series notebooks (Whitebooks not included). This was a bold move as many manufacturers, including the likes of: Sony, Dell, Toshiba and Acer did nothing. IIRC, HP extended the warranty for one year as well, but not accidental.

Also, many users that had 570M/580M GTXs in their notebooks and opted to overvolt them for better overclocks ended up burning their GPUs. MSI only asked for the GPU back and sent a brand new GPU just for the cost of shipping. I don't know of a single company that will gladly take a burnt GPU (That's worth $400-$500 at the time) and replace it for no fee.

I'm not saying MSI is above the rest of the crew but they do take care of their customers much better than the big box brands. HP support is pathetic. I returned my laptop within 30 days because it was unusable with their drivers. The only good thing they have going is a 30-day no questions asked full refund. MSI also builds some long lasting machines with proven cooling and includes stuff like: 4 RAM slots, XM-CPU support, MXM slot (That supports upgrades), 2 HDD bays (or 1 bay and 2 mSATAs) + ODD, 1080p STANDARD screens, etc. The best part is your paying much less than what Clevo/Alienware charge you. If anything MSI was the one to raise the bar for specs per price, while I'd say Alienware has done the same for warranty support.

You're right about the driver updates but fortunately we can get drivers elsewhere.

It's the firmware that annoyed me.

Only MSI can supply the TSST firmware and they didn't.

Other companies did. This is what puts me off MSI.

I agree they do make some attractive products with good specs... This is why I have an MSI gaming laptop. It ticked all the boxes.

Can anyone recommend good Australian or Asian sources for Dell 7970m video cards and heat sinks to suit MSI 16F2 laptops ?

I've been talking to Euro dudes but it's going to cost too much.

I have an MSI GT680 gaming laptop.

It's got the i7-2630QM CPU and the NVIDIA 460m video.

Unfortunately the NVIDIA 460m video is too under powered for the 1080 screen of the laptop so I'm looking at video card upgrade options.

Note that this is a discrete GPU only laptop and it's using a BIOS (not UEFI).

I'm reading that some people have had success with installing an AMD Radeon HD 7970m but there are some issues.

I'd like to summarise what I've read and ask for comment as to whether I'm on the right track.

My current thoughts are:

• Get a 180W power brick to replace the current 150W
  
• Get a Dell 7970m with a version 015.017 vBIOS
  
  • If I get a card with the wrong version vBIOS can I blind flash a vBIOS from here: Video Bios Collection | techPowerUp
    

  [*]Get a heat sink for the 7970m (as I don't want to risk the Dremel method)

My concerns are:

• How to avoid shutdowns due to excess power use
  
  • Is this just a matter of running the unlocked BIOS and ThrottleStop or is there more I need to do in the way of software or hardware mods to deliver more power to the GPU ?
    

  [*]Heat issues....

  • Is it advisable to cut a hole in the chassis to increase air flow ?
    

  [*]I'm also looking for any Australian suppliers for the replacement GPU and Heat Sink as postage is expensive from the U.K. or U.S.

I look forward to any insightful posts.

Thanks in Advance.

I would have to agree that MSI has worse after sales support on two grounds:

1) They do not pro actively publish upgraded drivers and firmware on their web sites

2) When contacted for support they seem slow to provide support and usually end up doing something that doesn't help

In my experience I'd put them behind: Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba & Acer

My recent experience comes from an MSI GT680 gaming laptop that cost over $2200 Australian.

I was having issues with the Blu Ray combo not liking some blank DVD media and either taking a long time to recognise it or thinking it was an audio CD.

I could see from the Internet that there was an update to fix this in the TSST drive I have.

The problem was that TSST does not provide firmware directly to end users and MSI did not have the update on their web site.

I opened several support cases with MSI.

In the end they just sent me the same firmware I had.

They simply did not seem to even try to contact TSST.

I'm guessing that they probably didn't want to pay for the update.

My only option now is to try and find someone with the right model Sony Vaio who would be happy for me to put my Blu Ray combo in their laptop to flash it.

I'll never buy another MSI device.